Better Than Grandma's Ginger Snap Cookies

My grandma always kept ginger snap cookies in a silver canister.  As a child, I remember vividly watching her reach into the cupboard for that tin to hand my father and me several cookies.  It was a tradition for us to receive those and we'd come to expect them at each visit.  Those cookies were good but they were the hard kind, not the soft and chewy cookies that we sometimes prefer. 

Since Mother's day just passed, I was feeling sentimental about my family - how I don't see them very often.  I felt the need to enjoy my grandmother's ginger snap cookies; however, I know she's not well enough or even physically able to make me a batch of these treats.  Therefore, I decided it was time to make my own, perhaps even create some that are better than grandma's.  I am happy to report that I have achieved that goal with this recipe.  My dad was happy to receive a handful of these treats and my mom was too!  I delivered more than a dozen of them to my parents recently.  Even my grandma was able to try some too.  They raved about how good these tasted and how soft they were too!  :-)





Better Than My Grandma's Ginger Snap Cookies

(Makes 3 and 1/2 to 4 dozen cookies)

2 and 1/2 cups of flour (I used half all-purpose and half whole wheat)
2 tsp baking soda
1 and 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground cloves
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of butter, cut into pieces (two sticks, I used Smart Balance brand)
1 egg
1/4 cup of molasses
1/3 cup of sugar in a small bowl, for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and take out 2-3 cookie pans but leave them ungreased.  In a medium size bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon and ground cloves.  Stir well. 

In a separate bowl, place the egg, sugar, butter and molasses.  Beat with an eletric mixer for about three minutes.   Add the dry ingredients to the beaten liquid mix.  Stir together by hand.  Shape the dough into round balls, like in the picture below:  



Dip each ball into the sugar that was set aside in the bowl.  Arrange on your ungreased cookie sheet an inch or so apart.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.  Let the cookies cool for two minutes before serving. 

Enjoy!  These are so easy to make!  You can even freeze these too.  Simply place them on a plate or in a plastic container to freezer for  a few hours.  Then move them into a plastic storage bag.   To defrost, simply place the storage bag of cookies on your countertop for a few hours, until they reach room temperature.  Or eat them nearly frozen - they are good that way too!  :-)


Do you have a dessert or special dish that reminds you of a grandmother or other elderly relative in your family?